Experiment, incentivize, measure ‒ that’s the message that emerged from the second video of the #B2BTalks series. On December 8, 2013, Kfir Pravda, CEO, Pravda Media Group sat with Saar Bitner, former VP Marketing, SiSense; Udi Ledergor, former VP Marketing, Panaya; and Dori Harpaz, Marketing Manager, Incapsula, to tackle the challenge of building a sales and marketing machine.

In the first video of the series, our panelists define a sales and marketing machine as a combination of processes, defined responsibilities, and supporting systems, from potential buyer to visitor to win.

So how do we start to build a sales and marketing machine?

Start with the Basics
It may sound simple, but make sure that you don’t get too ahead of yourself. While it’s important to be able to measure every step of the process, focus on the beginning stages. Saar Bitner, VP Marketing as SiSense, advises against building the whole infrastructure before you’ve taken care of the basics, such as having relevant inbound traffic, or a sales team that engages in outbound marketing activities.

Measure Everything
Bitner is a self-proclaimed freak of numbers. So it’s only fitting that he advises, “When you build something from scratch, you need to be obsessive with numbers” and measure every step of the process.

Experiment, Experiment, Experiment
Try out a few different options when building your sales and marketing machine. Udi Ledergor, formerly of Panaya, says that you should “go for your best bet for who you think your customers are, go for your best bet for the easiest way to bring them in,” and be flexible when trying different options.

Once you’ve found what’s working, make it scalable on a “galactic” level, such as 20,000 customers a day. If your machine won’t scale, you’ll come into challenges at a later stage.

Incentivize Your Teams and Optimize the Value Chain
Speaking from experience, Ledergor suggests that no one should measure their own work. Watch the video (skip to 5:33) for his breakdown of how at Panaya the Sales Development Department scored the Marketing Department; the Sales Department measured the Sales Development team; and ultimately the Sales Department were measured by the amount of customers signing on.

Everything Can (and Should) Be Tracked
Dori Harpaz, Director of Marketing at Incapsula stressed the importance of using technology to track all leads. While some people might say that there is no way to track someone who saw a status on Facebook and Twitter, there are no excuses. “Everything is measurable today. Everything is tracked.”

Make sure to watch the video clip for more best practices for building your sales and marketing machine. Do you have a tip to add? Leave us a comment below, or tweet us at @PravdaMG.

Want to receive updates about upcoming #B2BTalks events? Join our community!